Paul Brown was born on September 7, 1908 in Norwalk, Ohio. He was a legendary coach starting with Massillon HS, then Ohio State, then the Cleveland Browns, and finally with the founding and ownership of his own team, The Cincinnati Bengals, for which he was coach from 1968 to 1975.
Along the way he won: four High School Football National Championships for Massillon (1935, 1936, 1939, and 1940); one College Football National Championship (1942); and three NFL Championships for the Cleveland Browns (1950, 1954, and 1955). As Bengals coach he went 55-56-1, Super Championships eluding him, although he did coach his Bengals to three Divisional Playoff appearances. After he stepped down as coach but remained owner, his teams twice went to the Super Bowl and lost. His teams were competitive while he was President/Owner of the team.
Forty five years of very successful coaching followed by successful ownership of the Bengals is a legacy in football at all levels that is unquestioned. Brown’s biggest contribution was for the pro game; however, he was the coach of Ohio State for three years from 1941 to 1943.
Here are the stats on Paul Brown’s three years as the coach of the The Ohio State Buckeyes:
- 18-8-1
- 1941 tied for second in the Big Ten
- 1942 won the Big Ten
- 1942 NCAA College Football Champions (Ohio State won the AP, but some other polls had Georgia. No playoffs back then.)
- In 1942 Ohio State went 9-1 losing only to Wisconsin 7-17
- In 1942 the Buckeyes outscored their opponents 337-114
- Coach Brown went 1-1-1 vs. Michigan with a convincing victory of 17-7 in the National Championship year; however, the next year he would have an epic fail and lose to Michigan 7-44.
Brown’s last year, 1943, as a Buckeye was a disaster, and the Buckeyes went 3-6; however, this was due to WW II. His team was depleted by the draft and players volunteering to serve their country. In 1944 Brown’s country called, and he entered the Navy voluntarily. His assistant Carroll Widdoes took over the head coaching job and coached Ohio State to a 9-0 season in 1944. (Some polls even gave Ohio State the National Championship, but Ohio State does not recognize this Championship.) When the war ended, the allure of coaching a new NFL team called the Cleveland Browns was too much, and Brown left Ohio State.
So there you have it, Paul Brown’s brief but successful three year stint at The Ohio State University. The first OSU coach to win an AP National Championship for Ohio State. Of course, it didn’t hurt Coach Brown that Heisman trophy winner Les Horvath was his QB and halfback. Les also coincidently was the first Buckeye to win the Heisman.